Austria tops Azerbaijan 3-0 in Euro 2012 qualifier

Two second-half goals by winger Marko Arnautovic helped Austria beat Azerbaijan 3-0 in a 2012 European Championship qualifying match on Friday.
Arnautovic made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute when he wrongfooted Azerbaijan goalkeeper Kamran Aghayev with a low shot from just outside the area.
Arnautovic added another in injury time when he picked up a pass by Veli Kavlak and lobbed the ball over Aghayev.
Defender Sebastian Proedl gave Austria a lead in the third minute with a header from a Zlatko Junuzovic corner, leading Austria to its second straight win in Group A.
''Parts of the match were really good to watch, I am satisfied,'' Austria coach Dietmar Constantini said. ''We don't have the class to play top football during 90 minutes. Sometimes we gave them too much space in midfield.''
Stefan Maierhofer, leading Austria's line in the absence of the injured Marc Janko, missed several chances but produced the pass that allowed Arnautovic to score his first.
Azerbaijan came close once with a 25-meter (yard) effort from captain Rashad Sadigov early in the first half, forcing Austria goalkeeper Jurgen Macho into his only save of the match.
''We are on a long-term project and have still a long way to go,'' Azerbaijan coach Berti Vogts said. ''We showed in the first half that we can play some good football, but individual mistakes came costly.''
Austria next plays Belgium in Brussels on Tuesday while Azerbaijan takes on Turkey in Baku.
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Lineups:
Austria: Jurgen Macho, Florian Klein, Sebastian Proedl, Franz Schiemer, Christian Fuchs, Marko Arnautovic, Paul Scharner, Zlatko Junuzovic (Julian Baumgartlinger, 78), Martin Harnik (Veli Kavlak, 55), Roland Linz (Erwin Hoffer, 59), Stefan Maierhofer.
Azerbaijan: Kamran Aghayev, Rail Malikov, Sasha Yunisoghlu, Mahir Shukurov, Elnur Allahverdiyev, Vagif Javadov (Rashad Sadigov, 74), Samir Abasov, Elvin Mammadov (Vugar Nadirov, 59), Rauf Aliyev, Rashad Sadigov, Rahid Amirguliyev.